Nathan Bennett says code of conduct would improve conservation

In this Jan. 26, 2015 photo, pieces of thawing ice are scattered along the beachshore at Punta Hanna, Livingston Island, in Antarctica. The countries that decide the fate of Antarctica agreed then to create the world's largest marine protected area in the ocean next to the frozen continent. (Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press)

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A University of British Columbia researcher says it's time marine conservationists adopted a code of conduct, or "Hippocratic Oath for conservation" in order to balance the needs of conservation with the material needs of humanity.

He says as international bodies work towards protecting 10 per cent of the world's oceans from human exploitation, the impacts those protections will have on coastal communities needs to be recognized.

"As we're trying to meet these targets, marine conservation around the world is really ramping up," he said.

"When we're moving quickly in these processes, sometimes mistakes can be made. Around the world, we've seen places where people's rights have not been respected or due process has not been protected in the creation of marine protected areas."

Bennett says when these situations arise, they can create local opposition and resistance to the idea of ecologically protected oceans.